Emergency response times impacted when fire equipment goes down, Atlanta councilman says

ATLANTA - The public safety committee chairman of the Atlanta City Council says fire equipment must get fixed so firefighters can do their jobs.

At the beginning of the week, fourteen engines and trucks were out of service, according to Council member Dustin Hillis. 

"When this happens," Hillis said, "stations get pulled and firefighters have to shift to a nearby station."

The changes and fluctuations in available trucks can slow response times, the public safety chair said. 

On Tuesday, Hillis submitted a paper backed by the mayor to fund three additional pumper trucks at a cost of more than $2 million. 

The slow pace of acquiring new equipment along with a myriad of problems at the city hall repair shop are the two primary reasons why the city frequently comes up short putting engines in their assigned neighborhoods.

"We have got to come up with a short- and long-term plan to solve this problem," Hillis said. 

A spokesperson for the fire department said at midweek operations were getting back to normal.